


Push, Pull

by giraffles



Series: Lights Will Guide You [1]
Category: Captain Harlock, コスモウォーリアー零 | Cosmo Warrior Zero
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, And no one was surprised, Angst, Companionable Snark, Just Roll With It, M/M, Minor Character Death, Name Headcanons, Other, Young!Harlock, and shit gets Heavy (tm), harlock dresses like a hot topic reject, harlock is a criminal, someone save them from themselves, sorta???, zero is a mess, zero works for the cia or something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 10:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9436214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giraffles/pseuds/giraffles
Summary: "Your first name can't seriously be 'Phantom'. That's ridiculous."





	

**Author's Note:**

> let me have my trash ship and vague AUs okay

      "Your first name can't seriously be 'Phantom'. That's ridiculous."

He watched Harlock knock back another shot of cheap whiskey, gold eyes flickering back at him. "I think it's a cool name."

      "That right there tells me it's not your legal name," Zero poured himself a glass, "What is it?"

      "It's no more ridiculous than 'Warrius'," Harlock countered, "That's so _pretentious_."

      "I was named for my grandfather. And it's not pretentious, it's Latin."

      "Pretentious," Harlock repeated, "Just like you."

      "At least I have some taste. Do you really need skulls on everything you own?"

That got a better reaction from the international criminal turned agent-for-hire, who suddenly looked very offended at the idea that his style was being called into question. And Zero wasn't wrong; there seemed to be a running theme with all of his personal belongings, dark and covered in enough skeleton motifs to put a haunted house to shame. Harlock slammed down another shot.

      "At least I don't dress like an old man," he muttered, "I think your coat was made before I was."

As usual, Harlock had done a great job at deflecting the original question and rerouting the conversation. Which is precisely why Zero decided to press further. It's not always the best idea, because it's like a game of chess, and if he reveals his play too early then the whole game is lost. Harlock works in shadows and does his best to become a ghost. He's a whisper in water, a legend that few people believe and fewer know to be real.

But he _is_ real, very much so, and more human than he would like others to know. It's easier for Zero to see it now that he's spent time with him, and the haze of alcohol helps to lower their mutual defenses. It's a calculated move-- but unlike others, it's not motivated by a need to control Harlock or strip away all the mystery. He just wants to know him better. He's curious, and who could blame him?

      "What is it?" Zero asked again, "I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about."

His real name is probably something embarrassing, or unbecoming, anything that would be enough for him to hide it. Harlock doesn't hide anything else relating to his persona, not with his face and flag on display for the world to see. He supposed it would be hard to sound intimidating with a name like 'Bob' or 'Stewart'.

      "I'll make you a deal," Harlock drawled, "I'll tell you, but then you have to answer my next question completly honestly. It's only fair."

Fairness. What a novel concept, coming from a self made pirate and borderline terrorist. Even if he did have a bizarre set of morals he followed without fail. Zero decided to bite, to take that gamble and see where it went. He met those piercing eyes.

      "Alright," he agreed, "But only one question."

Harlock grinned, and he couldn't decide if it was predatory or just reckless from the whiskey. "It's Phares. With a 'ph', not an 'f'. That's important."

Ah. That made some sense, because then his initials would still be the same, even if he plastered 'Phantom' all over his work and the web. Zero suddenly realized that having a true given name meant he could possibility use it to dig deeper into Harlock's past. Even if he tried to destroy everything that came before his life as a criminal, there were things that could be found. Moldering records, people living in quiet towns, old connections and the most unassuming of documents. Of course Zero wouldn't do it. Which is probably why Harlock even told him in the first place, because he knew Zero better than that.

      "Phares." It's not a common name, especially for one of German-Irish decent, but it fits him in odd way. It's ancient sounding, and made him think of old temples and forgotten civilizations, still standing tall long after their people have gone. "Where is that from?"

       "Greece, I think." Harlock looked contemplative. Or maybe he was just tired, considering the bottle was well past half empty by then. "I'm not sure why they picked it."

Harlock so rarely speaks of his family that it's easy to forget they exist. Or his blood family, at least. Zero had met Wataru only a handful of times, and if Harlock is a wisp of a rumor, their father is a distant enigma. Neither of them are particularly free with details on the man, other than the fact that they share his genetics. And Harlock's definition of family was rather fast and loose, including anyone he was close to or took a liking to. Again, a rare occurrence, but it happened. There's a girl in foster care that he pays expenses for, and Zero knows there is a large trust fund in her name, despite her barely knowing her benefactor. Harlock would kill for her, bring down world governments and black markets just to keep her safe. She may not be his child by birth but Zero understood the sentiment all too well. He poured another glass.

      "Your turn," Harlock began, and Zero steeled himself for whatever may come, "And you're not allowed to weasel out of it."

Zero was fully expecting an inquiry on something classified, sensitive information that Harlock wouldn't have been able to get out of him otherwise. He's already thinking of ways to frame answers that won't give up too much while still holding up his end of the bargain. Because not answering, backing out at the last minute, is too cowardly too consider. If Warrius Zero has one thing left in this world, it's his pride. And he's not about to throw it out over a bottle of booze and a conversation on names.

      "What happened to your family?"

Zero started, not sure he heard that correctly. "I'm sorry?"

Harlock's face had returned to being unreadable, a mask he often wore so that no one could determine his thoughts or intentions. He looked over the rim of his glass and said again, "What happened to your family?"

He would ask how Harlock knew about that, but decided he'd rather not know. It would help him stay alive. It's not a question he expected however, and his knee-jerk reaction was to tell him to fuck off. But he bit his tongue and tried to find appropriate words instead.

      "Nevermind," Harlock said, and Zero realized that his body language had given away his thoughts on the matter, "That was a dick move--"

      "It was a fire," Zero cut him off, "Gas line explosion. Four blocks were destroyed by the end of it."

He always thinks it's going to get easier. That time heals all wounds, or some bullshit like that. As if the wounds don't sting fresh and raw every day, and the guilt doesn't hang around like a dark cloud, waiting to drag him down any moment. It never gets better.

      "Oh." Harlock seemed honestly off guard. If Zero wasn't busy drowning in the rest of his brandy, maybe he would have spared a moment to sympathize. But he _had_ asked, and so Zero had answered. "Sorry."

      "Don't be. It's not your fault." Zero came off more bitter than he meant to. It wasn't as though he was angry at anyone but himself, for not being there sooner, for not seeing it coming, for not--

      "My fault for bringing it up, though."

Zero shrugged half heartedly. "It was a long time ago."

It's the reason he's thrown himself into his work, because he doesn't have much left besides that. Of course he has his parents who try to help best they can. His friends have always been there for him, even when he spirals towards dangerous and self destructive. It's why he spent three years chasing and cornering one of the world's most wanted, only to end up working with him. Some days it's hard to believe that this is where his life has gone.

      "Zero--"

      "Her name was Linnéa," he continued, unable to stop and unwilling to try to, "We were married for a year and half."

Zero doesn't mention his child, because surely Harlock already knows that much, and he's not drunk enough to talk about it. He's not drunk enough for this whole conversation. He tried to fix that, but Harlock had already grabbed his bottled away from him.

      "Fucking hell," he mumbled in Zero's general direction, "You sure know how to kill a mood."

      "You have mentioned in the past that I'm allergic to fun."

      "A statement I stand by," Harlock kept the brandy just out of reach, much to his annoyance, "Oh, no, you're done for the night."

      "Says the man who drinks enough wine to destroy an elephant's liver."

      "I just know how to appreciate the finer things in life," continued the only person he had ever seen live on prosecco and instant ramen for a week, "And if you give yourself alcohol poisoning and die because of me, Marina will make sure I follow you to hell."

      "She wouldn't," though Zero knew full well she would at least try, "Why doesn't Wataru share your surname, anyway?"

Two could play at the deflection game.

      "We don't have the same mother, he's half Japanese. He also didn't want to be associated with that bastard."

      "Ah."

Harlock gave him a hollow laugh. "It's also because I _kept_ it."

      "Why _did_ you keep it?"

      "Spite, mostly," he hummed and joined Zero on the ratty couch, "And it sounds cool."

      "Sometimes I find your motivations for things concerning."

Concerning, maybe, but also understandable. Not that it made a lot of the things he did right. But understanding went a long way in convincing Harlock that they couldn't just steal resources or blow up things or kill whoever was in the way every mission. They had to at least _pretend_ to have some discretion. His reckless abandonment of common sense while in the throws of a dangerous situation was his most alarming trait.

Seconded only by his complete disregard for personal space.

      "Harlock," Zero ground out when long legs draped over his lap, "What are you doing?"

      "Sleepin'."

      "Not here you aren't."

      "Too late," came the soft sigh, "Not moving."

If there's one thing Zero has learned in his less than illustrious military career, it's to pick and choose your battles. The concept has become even more relevant since he turned into a glorified babysitter for one of the government's most important assets. Push too hard, and you lose his cooperation. Pull too far back, and he will bolt at the first opportunity. A fine line, to be treaded carefully, _so carefully_ , that it was a wonder Zero got anything done. It always gave him a headache. Or maybe that was the exorbitant amount of brandy he'd had.

      "Fine. Whatever. I don't care." Zero huffed at his already unconscious partner. Even though the problem is that he _did_ care, too much and too brightly to hope that he could get out unscathed. Every stolen moment is a testament to lost he already is. It really was too late. "You're an ass and I hate you."

If Harlock could spend his days lying and thieving, then maybe he could too. Just this once.

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not have binged myself on [Cinerari's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinerari/pseuds/Cinerari) fics this past week. 8D;; I really loved their use of Wataru as Harlock's long lost brother so I kinda did the same, whoops. I want to do more things set in this AU once I've fleshed it out more! \o/


End file.
